There's A Zora In My Swimming Pool
by 8-Bit
Summary: David discovers a Zora at the bottom of his pool... What could go wrong? Find out. Finished.
1. Swimming Surprise

There's A Zora in My Swimming Pool

The Legend of Zelda games have quite a variety of characters, from the simple minded Goron Tribe, to the mysterious Shieka Tribe. One of MY all time favorites has been the Zoras. I always thought they were the best tribe of the series. Even Link's Zora form in Majora's Mask was the coolest. I hope you enjoy this short story. I don't own any of the Nintendo characters written here, Nintendo does. Some attributes of Hyrulian peoples were created by me so as to make writing this piece easier, (and at some times possible). Also, this stuff didn't really happen… I just thought I'd remind you.

- Your favorite Gamer/Writer 8-Bit

Was it so wrong to want to swim in peace? All I wanted was to take a little dip, but fate wanted more. It knew I couldn't resist helping out my all time favorite Videogame character. I had played the Legend of Zelda since I was little, but I never thought I'd see the day, where a Zora was in my swimming pool. I should really start from the beginning, before I get ahead of myself.

It all started mid-summer. There was a heat wave. Air conditioners were pumping relief into all the homes. I didn't need that. I had a pool. I didn't need to waste all my money on an energy sucking AC, but later, I wish I had. I unlocked my padlocked gate, and took off my sandals. I took off the cover of the pool with a single swoop, eager to jump. I strode over to the diving board, and hopped on. I shifted to the edge, looking at the less than clear, but relieving water.

As I looked carefully, I saw a small dark spot at the corner of the deep end. I knelt down, making the board bend noisily. It was slightly bluer than my pool liner, which would explain why I didn't see it earlier. It looked rounded, but it seemed that the water distorted it. Or did it? I laid down on the board, giving me an unstable, but better look at the mysterious thing, sunk at the bottom of my pool. I just wanted to take a swim, but I didn't want to jump in with a potentially dangerous something in my pool. I still could not make out the figure. I shimmied down all the way, until my face almost touched the water. I finally saw what was at the bottom of the pool.


	2. A Boy in Blue & A Girl in Black

My brain switched into overdrive. What should I do? I cringed at the thought of bringing it up, but if he was still alive- I had no time to think, and went with my instincts. I dove in. Obviously, my instincts were a little rusty. I swam to the bottom, eyes open, and grabbed the body, kicking off the bottom. I hoisted the body up to the lip of the pool, and pushed it inward.

Climbing out, I immediately remembered something I had learned- The breath of life. My adrenaline powered self, viewed the body, almost in slow motion. He was completely blue. I thought maybe it was from lack of oxygen, but one quick look at the back of his head, proved that to be false. He wasn't even human. With my adrenaline starting to stop pumping, I looked into the eyes of this person. I almost didn't notice that his eyes were open, staring at me. He blinked, I blinked. Finally, he said something.

"Why did you wake me up?" he said. He looked confused. "And why are you standing like that?"

I looked at myself. My legs spread wide, my shoulders rigid. I stood normally. The kid stood up, giving me a good look at him. Again, I studied him. I knew that look from somewhere. My thoughts were all messed up inside my head. I couldn't think straight. I started to remember it, when he started to talk.

"You're a, a human?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah, I am. You're a…" I half said. I had to think of something quick. "You're a Goron."

"I'm a Zora" He replied, a little aggravated. "Gorons are rock people, Zoras are fish people, and we're way smarter than any Goron!" From behind me, I heard a sound that was similar to that of someone clearing their throat, only deeper. Disregarding that, I apologized.

"I'm sorry, I know you are, but I'm not thinking too clearly. Who are you?" I had enough sense to ask. The Zora looked at me like I was clueless- which I was at the time.

"You don't know me!?" You must not be from around here. I am the son of the great king of the Zoras." The Zora prince declared.

"No," I said, "_You_ must not be from around here. This is _my_ pool, in _my_ backyard. See?" I pointed to my house in a large gesture. The Prince looked at me with glaring eyes. He raised a web-handed fist in the air.

"And to think I was going to ask a favor of you. Now, I can see your selfishness, and your dishonor. You must not be the one my father has spoken of." He insulted. Now I was the one to put up both fists.

"And to think I was going to be nice to you. Now, I can see your rudeness, and your bad attitude. You must not be a kind Zora of which I've witnessed in the Game," I mocked. What I said both angered and confused the boy.

"I am merely a game to you? You humans are all alike. The game was right" he said.

"What?" I asked, lowering my fists, "What game are you talking about?" He too, lowered his fist.

"I should ask you the very same question," the prince said "You first." I thought it was typical of him to order me around.

"The Zoras are in a game called 'The Legend of Zelda'. You are a tribe of people who live in Lake Hylia" I explained. The Zora boy raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"You know of princess Zelda?!" He asked.

"Keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom," I said, acting like I knew much more than he did; "Now you describe my world." The prince looked up in remembrance.

"The humans are in a game called 'Earth' which is the planet where they live. The game is about life on earth. It is supposed to be about war, or something, like feuding tribes, but they call them countries." The boy explained. I didn't know where to begin, so I stuck out my hand. He looked at me, took my hand and shook it. It was the first time I had shook hands with a Zora. His hand was cold, and felt a little bit soggy, but that was to be expected. He probably thought my hand was as dry as sandpaper.

"Your hand feels like sandpaper," he said. I laughed.

"I'm David" I said. I wasn't expecting his name to be normal.

"Nathan" he said, and I was fairly shocked.

"Is that your real name?" I asked,

"My real name is longer, but it's somewhere along the lines of that," he answered. He was finally being friendly with me. We continued to shake hands, and we kept shaking for awhile, unsure of what to say to each other further. Finally we stopped.

"So," I said, realizing what to say, "Why are you in my swimming pool?" Nathan looked down at the ground.

"Well, I was back at Zora's Domain, in my room behind the throne room, when I heard a noise like a sword clashing. I ran from my room, into the throne room. In there, was a scent like candle smoke, and when I went to investigate, I found nothing. Then, I went back to my room, went to sleep in my sleeping pool, and I fell asleep. Then, I woke up in your pool," He explained. I nodded.

"If there's anything I can do to help, just say so," I said. He smiled at me.

"Well, I'll be in here until we can figure out how to get me back," He said. I walked to the edge of the pool, and looked down at the water. Just then, I felt two hands on my back, pushing me towards the water. My footing slipped, and I fell in, head first. A rush of water closed over my head. I swam upwards, towards the surface. I saw Nathan standing there, laughing at my expense.

"What the heck? What if I couldn't swim?" I questioned.

"Why would you own a pool, if you don't know how to swim?" Nathan chuckled. _Right_, I thought. Nathan dove into the pool, as I got out. I sat in a lawn chair. The rest of the day, I stayed poolside with Nathan, until night, when it was time for sleep. I said goodbye, and left. I got ready to sleep, laid down, and fell asleep. I'm a victim of inverse insomnia, I fall asleep really fast.

I usually don't remember my dreams after I wake up, but that night I did. It was like a vision. A white room formed in my mind. The only things in the room were two doors, and a figure sitting in a corner. My mind seemed to be wandering towards the figure, huddling in the corner. As my mind drew closer to the figure, I saw that it was a little girl, dressed in a black dress, and black stockings. As I approached her, she seemed frightened.

For no reason, I said, "I'm here to help you out." I kept walking, never quite reaching her.

"I'm here to help you," I repeated, and she looked straight into my eyes. Suddenly, I was dragged out of the room, as I started to enter back into consciousness.


	3. Trust Issues

He opened the door, and slid from the truck. He couldn't climb out; he was too heavy to do that. He walked over to where I was standing, and ripped his sunglasses from his face. He stared at me with a sideways glance.

"I swear, if you're lying, you'll have no chance." He said.

"Right, Tony," I said with a sigh. I led him into the back. I half expected Riff to be gone, but half of my expectations were wrong, because he was there, already eating the last of my big rocks. Tony continued to walk towards Riff with an odd look upon his face. I ran after him. Tony stopped inches from the Goron. I caught up with him.

"You know, when that happened, I said 'unless you somehow come in contact with a Goron, you can just forget about it' but I never thought you'd find one," Tony said. I looked at him.

"I never purposely did that to you," I said, trying again.

"You know," he said, "I believe you now. I don't know why. I've just got this feeling now, that you're telling the truth. It's like a voice in my head, or something. It's almost like you showed me some convincing evidence, by seeing this Goron."

"I'm glad we can talk again," I said. "But now we have bigger problems. I have a Goron here that needs food. I think you know what he needs."

"I'll dump some off from the quarry," Tony said "Hey, if only there was a Zora here, we'd both have our favorite tribe here."

"I just so happen to have one in my swimming pool," I replied. Tony laughed.

"Well, I'll have to meet him later, because I just have to talk to this Goron. Besides, I gotta' go back to work in an hour," He said. He walked to the front of the Goron to talk. I said goodbye, and went back to the pool to talk to Nate.

I unlocked the gate, and walked to the edge, where I found him. He swam up to the surface.

"It seems like I'm not the only one from Hyrule," Nate said. I stared at him.

"You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?" I asked.

"I know him," Nate explained. "He was a friend of mine, but we had an accident, and now he isn't exactly friendly with me anymore."

"Sounds familiar," I said, glancing back at Tony talking to the Goron. "Me, and that human over there, Tony, we had a similar problem. We just made up. For some reason, I think your friend will forgive you too." Sure enough, Riff walked over to the pool area, and looked down at Nate.

"Seeing dis human just made me believe that you're not the one. I forgive you," Riff declared, less subtle, but still the same as Tony.

"I gotta go," Tony said, "Nice seeing you Nate, see ya Riff!" Tony pounded his own chest once, and Riff pounded his own once back, signaling a goodbye. Tony left the yard.

"Alright Riff, you can stay back here with Nate, We'll have some rocks back in here soon," I said. I looked at Nate "What do I need to get for you to eat Nate?" Nate thought a moment.

"Well, I won't need something to eat for a couple of days, Zoras don't need to eat often, but every five days I'll need something. I'll need a fish or something."

"Fair enough," I said. "See you both back here later." I walked back into the house, glancing at a clock. It was only 7 o'clock! I was on vacation from work, and I needed the rest. I was still a little bit sleepy, so I went back up to my room, closed everything again, and fell asleep for awhile. I had almost forgotten about my dream. I was back in the room.

Once again, the girl in black was there. I walked over to her. Walking there, I remembered that I usually never have the same dream twice, but I shoved that thought to the back of my head, so I wouldn't wake up. She was still sitting in the corner. I didn't know what I was feeling at that moment, but for some reason, I wanted to help this person. She stared at me again. My approach to her, had made almost no progress until she looked into my eyes. She trusted me. I finally made it over to her, and knelt down. Unsure of what to say, I just stared. She brought back her brown hair behind her ear. I knew who she was. Her ears were pointed. She was a little Hyrulian girl. She looked to be about 13 years old. I wanted to ask her something, but I didn't know what. I wanted answers. I was rushing to think of something, because if I didn't rush, I would wake up. I slowed down my thinking, but that was a mistake, because once again, I was dragged out of the room, back into consciousness.

"Damn!" I shouted, and I banged the coffee table next to me with my fist. I checked the clock. It was 11 o'clock.

"I'm going to bed early, so I can figure this out," I declared to myself. In the meantime, I decided to check up on how my Hyrulian friends were doing. I glanced outside my bedroom window to see a huge pile of rocks in the back corner of my yard. I could tell Riff was happy about that. Tony came through. In about 5 hours, he would be back to see Riff. Since Riff would be preoccupied, I decided to go to see Nate. Realizing I was still in my pajamas, I got dressed, and walked to the pool.

I looked down into the water to see that Nate wasn't there. I knew Zoras could walk on land, but I was still worried. I walked away from the pool area to go see Riff, since Nate was missing. He was eating a few pebbles from the bottom of the pile. He sat down on the closest rock, laid back, and burped, which rung out across the yard. I had never heard a burp that loud. I asked him where Nate was, but he didn't know either. As I walked back to the pool, I heard a scream come from the other yard, which just so happened to have a pool too.


	4. Unwanted Visitors

Running as fast as I could, I leaped over the tall fence to see my neighbor, Alice. She was about fifty-something years old. The look on her face was terror to say the least. Looking at Nate, he was just about as terrified that someone had discovered him. He just floated there with a blank stare, unsure of what to do, or say. This is where my time with the Drama Club in High School paid off. I ran forward, towards her pool, and fake-screamed.

"What is this thing?" I asked, "I'll get him, don't worry" Alice, still in shock, could only nod. I dove in her pool, on top of Nate. We both sunk to the bottom, and I started to fake-punch Nate. He was unsure of what was happening, and he kicked me off with his foot. I drifted over to the opposite end of the pool, and Nate shot like a torpedo, towards me. Swimming just left of him, he missed me, and I picked him up by his stomach. Realizing I was in the shallow end of the pool, I lifted Nate out of the water. I climbed out of the pool, Nate kicking at me in midair. Alice still froze there, looking at us. Putting Nate down, he started to swing at me. I blocked Nate's punches, and screamed at Alice.

"Alice, Run away! Don't call the Police. I've seen it in the movies; he'll disappear when the cops show!" I yelled, and without hesitation, she ran for her life. Once she was inside, I started to talk to Nate, who was still trying to fight me.

"Relax," I said, "I was just trying to get Alice away from here. Go back into my pool, We'll talk later." Nate vanished from the yard. I ran to Alice's house, and knocked on the door.

"It's me Alice, I got him!" I said. After a minute, the door opened slowly, and Alice let me inside. Her house wasn't modern, it was as old as could be. Little knickknacks were all over the walls. Since her husband had died about a year ago, all the neighborhood cats were walking around. She had always wanted a cat, but he was allergic, so now, she has ten of them. She sat down on the couch, fixing her floral print dress that looked like it came from the 1950's. She acted like she was 80, or even 90 years old.

"I got him Alice, I think he's dead now, he won't be coming back anytime soon," I reassured her. She looked up at me.

"Where do you suppose he came from?" she asked.

"I think the better question is; how did he get here?" I added.

"I don't know David, but I think I know someone who _would_ know!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" I asked, curious as to who she could possibly know, who could possibly tell me how both Nate and Riff arrived here.

"My son," she said. "He lives in an apartment across town. He's a scientist at the research facility downtown. If anyone would know, my Bradley would know." She gave me a business card with the name "Bradley Cooper" written on it with a phone number, and address.

"Thanks," I said. "Don't worry Alice, I'll get to the bottom of this." I left her house, and walked back to mine to put away the business card. On my way there, I said all of what I knew out loud to myself.

"So I met a Zora and a Goron. I'm dreaming about a Hyrulian girl dressed in black, and now I found Nate swimming in my neighbor's pool for no reason," I said. I was thinking about that last fact. Was it really for no reason, or was Nate there on purpose?

I had made it to my house at exactly noon time. Grabbing a bite to eat, I sat down in my living room. The sandwich I took was in there for two days, and I wanted to finish it up. I was expecting a quiet afternoon, where I wouldn't have to worry about Hyrulian tribes coming to my backyard. I couldn't have been more wrong. I heard the front door close. Tony must be there. When I went to look, nobody was there. I looked at the doorknob, and it seemed to be covered in a purplish black substance. I tried to twist the knob, but it was firmly glued in place. I had a feeling I was not alone. I was right. A blue flash streaked across the corner of my eye. I ran to the window, in an attempt to escape, but the lock on it was covered in that same substance as the doorknob. I figured all my windows and doors were like this. I was right again.

"Who are you?" I asked loudly, "What do you want with me?" The blue flash passed by the corner of my eye again.

"I want you dead," a voice declared. "By the order of the Zora King"

"What does the Zora King want me dead for?"

The deep voice laughed. "Don't you know? You're the one who took the Prince."

"I didn't take him. He just appeared here. I'm innocent."

"Liar! I witnessed your confrontation with the prince."

"How does the King know me?"

"Silence fool! No more questions. That's not your business to know. Prepare to die!" Out of nowhere, a throwing star barely skimmed my ear, and stuck to the wall. With my heart beating faster, I moved my foot one step towards the stairs, but another throwing star caught my pants' leg, millimeters from my ankle. Subtle movement would do me no good. He knew my every move. He was holding back. I would have been long, dead by now.

"Check" the voice echoed. He was playing with me. A cruel game of chess, and I was just a pawn.


	5. Bad Introductions

"The prince is in the backyard!" I said. "You can take him back!"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why shouldn't you believe me? I'm not the one with the weapons."

"Good move my friend, but you won't trick me." I tried a new approach

"I can see you're a man of honor. Honorable men should give their enemies a final wish."

"Honor should only be shown to other honorable men"

"That's not true!" I shouted. Now I had him cornered. "True honorable men even show honor to those with no honor"

"You are wise. You saw through my ruse." I glanced over to the door, and I looked at the doorknob. The purple substance was gone. He was letting me go. Or so I thought.

"Checkmate" I whispered, and I ran for the yard. Running into the backyard, I saw someone run behind me. He was gaining on me. He was much faster than me, and raced past me. I saw his face. Half of it was hidden behind a dark piece of red cloth. I knew who he was. He was from the Shieka tribe. He was the one who was toying with me. He hopped over the fence, into my pool. About a second later, he jumped straight out, with Nate by the arm. Slamming the gate open, I rushed to see what he was going to do.

"Prince, I am here to take you back to your father," the shieka said.

"Who are you?" Nate asked.

"I am Xire, hired by the King to rescue you, and terminate your captor." Xire claimed "I have just enough magic for the two of us, so he doesn't follow."

"Wait" I shouted, and Xire tightened his grip on Nate. "If you're hired by the king, like you say you are, why are you grabbing onto his arm? There's no reason to hold onto him, if you plan on getting him back. So, why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Xire spat.

"I think you do Xire, you see, he's not just someone who appeared in my pool, he's my responsibity. I made him a promise that I'd get him back to his home, and I'm not just about to let you go with him," I said. He laughed at me.

"There's nothing you can do to stop me." Xire said. He reached into his pocket, and grabbed a handful of powder.

"Using this, I can escape with the Prince." I tensed up. He threw the powder behind him, into the pool, and let go of Nate's hand. I knew this was my chance. I ran at Nate, and as the rift opened, I tackled Nate through it. We had left Xire behind, off to Hyrule.

The Trip through the portal was short and brief and my landing wasn't the best. A chair that was just sitting there, was my landing pad. My head banged up against it. Not enough to kill me, but enough to lose consciousness.

I guess every cloud has a silver lining, because I had the dream again. Now it was just me, and that Hyrulian girl. The dream came like a flash. Clearer than ever. Again, she was curled up in the same corner, same clothes, but this was different. I walked to her slowly. She recognized me, and let me come nearer. I knelt down, and she looked up. She had the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. Two bars of white reflected in her eyes. I looked back, at the ceiling. She was staring at the fluorescent light. The hum of the long bulbs seduced me into yanking the chain, to switch the blinding lights off. Between the two, was a Black bulb. I had seen these before. It was a Black Light. The CSI use them to look for blood at crime scenes. I pulled the chain. Click. Mistake. My hand found its way to my mouth, covering my hanging jaw. Blood soaked hands had clawed the walls, and ceiling. The girl stood up. She drifted over to a spot where the claw marks had not reached. As if her hand was covered in blood, she wrote a message on the wall. The writing was rather sloppy. It looked like "MAYILOA". I was puzzled. She looked at me, and seeing that I was confused, wrote "NAME" on the wall next to it. I tried to speak, to ask her, but no words came out. It must have been from the fall, but how did she know to write, instead of speak? I pointed to the doors, and shrugged. At least I might be able to know what was behind those doors. She walked to one. Wrote something. "HTRVLE" it read. Bad handwriting. She walked to the other. Wrote something. "EARTH" it said. She walked back over to the htrvle door. She pointed to it, then to herself. She was from that door. It didn't say "HTRVLE", it said "HYRULE". Maybe "MAYILOA" didn't really mean "MAYILOA". Something similar. The dream impaired my thinking to some extent. I pointed to the Earth Door, then to myself. I waved goodbye. I opened the Earth door, knowing I did not need to be in Hyrule as long as Nate was Home. One down, one to go. Right? Wrong. Once I turned the knob, the door flung open, and a terrible gust of wind blew into the room. I felt only a small breeze, but for the girl, she was literally blown towards the opposite wall. I stepped through the doorway, and closed the door. The outside was a plain field with green grass. I fought to wake up. I did. But not where I expected.


	6. Wanting Out

I woke up in a room filled with potions, and sick people in beds. The walls were made of stones. It was a hospital. In Hyrule. She tricked me. I went through the Hyrule door. She marked them opposite. Nate was sitting in a chair next to my bed.

"You've been out for days. You've got to explain to me what happened the day we came here." Nate hurried me.

I forced myself to fully wake. "I pretended to fight you so Mrs. Cooper would go away. I was going to explain it to you right afterwards, but Mrs. Cooper kept talking to me. She gave me a card with her son's name on it. He's some sort of scientist. So, I went to put the card on a table inside, when this Shiekah tried to kill me. He was playing a game with me. Only, it was for my life. He claimed to want to take you back, but I promised you I would do that, so I tackled you through his own portal." I didn't mention my dream. I was going to keep that a secret. Why should he know? They were my dreams, not his.

We both left the Hospital, off to Zora's domain. The whole way there, Nate looked nervous. Why would he be nervous? I got a bad vibe from his direction. After we were about a mile away, I offered to let him go back on his own. He agreed, and just like that, he was gone. He walked almost out of site, but he stopped, looked up, and turned around. He started back in my direction, coming back.

"You helped me get to Hyrule, now I'm going to help _you_ this time."

"Thank you," I said "But I've got to do this alone."

"You think you know Hyrule?" Nate asked me.

I couldn't answer him. "Of course you don't, so I'll help you on all the things you need to know." Nate offered. I had to accept. I didn't know Hyrule like a Zora would.

"Okay," I agreed. "Where do we start?" The number one question.

"It sounds risky, but we should go back to the Shiekah's base." Nate said.

"That was the assassin's hideout?"

"Yeah, but there's no way of him getting back now."

"You're right. His base may even have some answers to the questions we have." So we walked back to his base. To look for something that might lead us in the right direction. When we arrived, I saw a desk with many scraps of paper. It was about the only thing in the place except for that stupid chair, a bed, and a fireplace to cook into. The problem was trying to find any good info in the huge pile of papers. The search was on.

In the large pile, there were bills, napkins, books on the History of the Shiekah, sticky backed paper like post-it notes with letters on them, a disregarded eviction notice, and more. One thing that caught my eye, was a quote on a scrap of paper. It read: Those who write, give their secrets to their readers. This was a good indicator of what we would find. Next to nothing; which is what we found. The best thing we found, were the sticky notes with letters: T, L, D, A, M, I, and another A. I had an idea

While Nate was sleeping, I gave my idea a try. She said Mayiloa. I matched up the known letters of that I had here. M A blank I L blank A was my setup. I had a T and a D. Y looked like a T somewhat, so I put the T in the Y spot. M A T I L blank A. I put the D in the O spot. M A T I L D A. Chills ran down my spine. Matilda was her name.

That night, I stayed up, knowing I would not see her again until I knew exactly who she was. I checked the local Bookshop, where they had many local records. I looked up Matilda in the records, and there she was. She was in a headline in a newspaper. "Hylian Girl Dies Due To Mysterious Disappearance" The title rang. I read the article. She disappeared, they found her dead, and put her in a family tomb. She was 15. That was 5 years ago. She would have been as old as me.

In all the excitement, I hadn't realized how tired I was. I'd get another shot at talking to her. Maybe I could actually talk this time. Although, I still didn't know why a dead Hyrulian girl would want to contact me in the first place. I walked back to the hideout. I had to sleep on the floor, since Nate had the small cot of a bed. I grabbed the extra blanket, and pillow, laid down, and after awhile, fell asleep.

The white room appeared again, Matilda sitting in the corner once again. This time, I didn't go straight for her. I swiched off the lights. They revealed the correct doors. Switched them off again. I walked to Matilda. This time, all I did was extend my hand down to her. She grabbed my hand, and I helped her up. I walked over to the Hyrule door, and waved Matilda over. I stood in front of the door. I tried to say something again, but I couldn't talk. Of course. When I know what to say, I can't say it. I pointed to her, and then the door. She walked over, and tried to touch the doorknob, but her hand went through. Then I tried. I touched it. I pointed to her, then to me, then to the door. She looked puzzled. I offered my hand again. She took it. I twisted the knob, and the door flung open. The wind started again. I felt nothing but a breeze, but she was tugging on my arm, almost flying in the opposite direction. I tried to walk, but it was no help. The wind took her like a sail in a hurricane. I had to close the door. The breeze stopped. I walked to the Earth door. Then she did something I wasn't expecting: she spoke.

"You'll come back, won't you?" She asked. I nodded heavily. I opened the door, and walked through the earth door. Then I woke up, but this time, in my own bed.


	7. Out of My Mind

I remembered the facts. Nate was in Hyrule, one down. Riff was still here, and unfortunately, so was that Shiekah. That Shiekah would go all out on me. No more games. He was going to try and kill me. The doorbell rang, and I quickly ran downstairs to answer it. It was Tony. Probably here to drop off more rocks. He was. I offered him to come in. We sat in my living room, and told him why I was gone. I was unsure throughout my explanation if I should tell Tony of my dreams. I figured I had to.

"… And Tony, I've been dreaming of this girl that-" I started

"Who's the lucky lady?" Tony asked.

"She's dead Tony. I looked it up. They found her dead five years ago after she disappeared."

"That's heavy man. You're dreaming about her, and you can't even be with her. That's pretty messed up." Tony declaired.

"That's why I'm trying to get her out of my head. She might be able to help me with this whole mess." I said.

"So why don't you?"

"Well, she can't open the door. I have to open it. Then this wind comes that only pushes her back. It's too strong for me to pull her through the doorway."

"Well, it might be too much for you, but not for me, man. I've got some major muscle." He joked.

"You might be on to something. I may not be able to do it, but maybe someone much stronger, and heavier could pull us through the doorway."

"Riff" Tony said, "Gorons are strong, and heavy."

"But how would I get him in my dream?"

"I don't know. Ask her while you're awake?"

"I'll try it, but I don't know if it'll work." Tony left after our conversation was over. I glanced out in the backyard. It was still dark, and Riff was asleep. Perfect. I went back upstairs, and shut all the blinds on the windows, making the room pitch black. I sat on the bed.

"Matilda, I need you to bring Riff, the Goron in my backyard, to the room. I have an Idea." How did I know if it worked? The only way I could know for sure was to sleep. And dream. This time, I had trouble falling asleep, but when I finally did, I was back in the room.

Riff was there, as I had asked, and Matilda was there too. I helped her up again. I led Riff to the Hyrule door. I pointed to him, then the door. He knew right away he had to go through the doorway. I took Riff's hand, and Matilda took mine. We opened the door. Mixed things happened at once. The wind blew in both directions. Riff was being pulled out of the room, while Matilda was being pulled into the room. I was being pulled in both directions. Riff was trying to pull us, but Matilda's forces pulled her inward more. All the while, I was being pulled in half by the forces. I was in major pain. My arms were being ripped from heir sockets. I screamed in pain. Riff had finally pulled me fully out. I couldn't hold on anymore. Matilda slipped from my grasp, but I had not realized that she too was outside the doorway. I had woken up, right before Matilda landed back in the room. We did it.

I woke up in maybe the grayest room I had ever been in. Light shown in through slits in the walls. They sprinkled light onto the floor. Which was covered in bodies. Dead Bodies. Not just dead, but decaying. It was disgusting. I realized where I was. They put her body in the family tomb. I hadn't noticed where I was. I was laying on a stone platform, raised slightly off the floor, held up by magic. There was an isle of floor, where bodies were not taking up space, up to a stone door. All behind the platform were piles of bodies. Some, already skeletons, some with some flesh, and a handful of nearly decaying. I wanted out of there. But where was Matilda? I looked to the left of where I was laying. I jumped up in complete fright. She was there. Dead. You could tell she was there for 5 years. I jumped off the platform completely, into the isle. Once my adrenaline stopped pumping, I took a deep breath.

"Well, at least she isn't stuck in my mind anymore. Poor thing. Five years." I said. I looked down at my feet, to see a newly picked red rose. I picked it up.

"If this is anyone's rose, I'm sorry," I said to the corpses, "But I think she needs this." I placed the rose where her hand was. Then I saw a veil behind the platform. It was like a blanket, only it was baby blue, and you could partially see through it. I laid it on top of her. I stepped back, and took a look at her for one last time. Something came over me at that moment. I felt a feeling of great sorrow. I had not known her, I never spoke to her, I had never even met her really, but at that moment, I cried. I can't tell you why, but I did. I cried.


	8. It Comes Back to Haunt You

After the sorrow subsided, I started to walk away. I walked as far as the door, before I heard a thing. A faint ringing entered my ears, and I looked back. A Blue light shone above her, and flashed in my eye, temporarily blinding me. When my eyes adjusted, she was there. Alive. She looked older now, but still in the same clothing. She was alive, no longer a hideous skeleton. She sat down on the platform, and I approached her. She was in the same sitting position as she was in my dreams, and that was the last time I would have to help her up. I extended my hand. She took it. She stood up, but didn't let go. She looked at me. I went for it. She didn't stop. And we kissed.

We exited the tomb, and then I remembered something. Riff. Where was he? He had to be somewhere in Hyrule. I looked to Matilda.

"Matilda. Do you…" I started.

"Please," she said. "Call me Mattie. Matilda makes me sound like some old crone."

"Okay. Mattie. Got it." I agreed, "Do you know where Goron territory is?"

"Sure," She answered. "It's right up the road."

"Alright. We've got to find Riff." I said. She nodded. We both walked down the path she mentioned. During that time, I would try to find out some things.

"So, why were you in my head?" I asked. She sighed.

"Well, there's a lot to explain. I don't know where to begin."

"Well, do you know of the Zora prince Nathan?"

"That's what he goes by?" she asked. "I know him. He's just about my age, maybe a little younger. Anyway, he's a little mysterious. He always kept disappearing. He had his father send out search parties every time. Nobody really knew where he went to. They always found him in his room, not remembering him being gone."

"How about Riff?" I asked.

"I don't know him, but I've heard prince… um, Nathan, is he called? Ah, yes. Well, Nathan talked about him being the strongest kid in all of Hyrule."

"So, where do you live?" I asked.

"Well, five years ago, I was living in Hyrule Castle town, but since then, My parents have… well, I'll just say, they've left this world."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.

"Well, I miss them, but I guess it was for the best," Mattie said. I looked at her. That was a weird answer. We kept walking.

"So, needless to say, someone kidnapped me," Mattie said "And killed me. I don't even remember who, or… or why. Anyways, when I died, I appeared in that white room, only to find you. So I gave you clues to free me. I'm guessing my family must have put me in the family tomb. Good thing too. If they had buried me… well, let's just say we'd be in a bad situation." She laughed. I chuckled. I liked Mattie. She seemed a little mysterious though. I couldn't help but think she was holding back. I didn't see any reason to hold back any information. What reason could there be?

"So what about you? Where did you grow up?" Mattie asked. Why did she have to ask? I brought back some painful memories into my mind. I sighed.

"Well, I wasn't always in my own house. I used to live with my parents, back when I was younger."

"You don't think I've played Earth before. I know that." Mattie said.

"Well, you probably don't know that I moved out when I was fifteen." I said.

"Really? Wow. Why so young?" she asked.

"My father was… um… less than kind to me during my childhood. At fifteen, he, well, I'd rather not say. Anyway, I was emancipated. I legally moved out of my house. The judge reassured me after the trial; 'Don't worry, you'll be moving in next to Nice Mrs. Cooper, and kind Mr. Louie. You'll do fine.' I still have a good relationship with my mother though, so it's not a complete loss. 5 years later, and here I am." I said.

Mattie put her hand on my shoulder. She gave me a melancholy smile. I smiled back.

We reached Death Mountain, and almost instantly, we saw Riff. He was standing outside the passage to The Goron's territory. He entered. He was home. We had walked this way all for nothing. Damn. We walked back. It was a long walk, but at least now I wouldn't be alone.

We talked the way back to the Shiekah's hideout. I was guessing Nate was still there. I opened the shabby, old door. Nate was sitting on the only chair, reading some book. It looked rather old, and no plastic cover meant it wasn't from any library in Hyrule. I don't know why I was so attracted to this book, but I was.

Nate looked up at the two of us, and after glancing at me he began.

"So Dave, who's y-" He started. He finally saw who Mattie was. He didn't continue that scentence, but started another.

"Matilda" He said. He said it in a tone I would never forget. He said it like she was a task he had forgotten to get done.

"I hear you go by 'Nathan' now," Mattie said to him. Nate sighed, and looked to the floor in thought. I thought I'd cut in.

"She was trapped in-" I began, but Mattie held a finger to my lips to silence me. Obviously I shouldn't have cut in.

"I thought you were dead," Nate said. Mattie thought a moment.

"I was," she replied smugly.

"Well, you're back, and that's all that matters, right?" Nate said.

"Not really," Mattie replied. I was confused as to what she meant.

"And since you're back, and you have no family here, and my family doesn't care about my decisions, we should go to Earth, and live with Dave. You have the powers, so let's do it." Nate said "If it's alright with David of course."

"Sure," I said.

"Let's do it," Nate said.

"Wait," Mattie said. "I'm a Hylian, and you're a Zora, if anyone sees us on Earth, we'd be on the front cover of all the newspapers. Especially you Nathan. You're blue, for Nayru's sake!" I laughed to myself, at the mention of the Hyrulian Goddess of Wisdom.

"One quick visit to the Shiekah, and we could change our appearances." Nate suggested.

"Alright," Mattie said, giving in finally.

So together, we walked to the Shiekah camp.

I always though the Shiekah were some mysterious unknown people, but when I got to know them, they were open. What I mean is, they weren't what you would call "reserved". They told stories of battles they had fought in neighboring, minor kingdoms. The crazy part was, we were only there a couple minutes. They loved to talk. So needless to say, they gladly gave us the powder needed to transform, and they also gave us these jumpsuits that were similar to wetsuits. They said they transformed to your needs. If you were going somewhere formal, for instance, it would change into a suit, if you were going to bed, they'd become pajamas, for lounging, they'd change to something to lounge in. Of course, they wouldn't change around people you didn't want to see you magically change your wardrobe. We thanked them, and walked out of the camp. Only Fifteen minutes had passed.

"The Shiekah can almost read a person's aura. If you are there for bad intentions, they'll know," Mattie said. It was almost like she could read my mind.

We had all we needed. And it was time to change, only this time; it was a little more literal. We went inside the hideout. Mattie was the first to change. She took a little of the powder, and threw it onto herself. Her transformation was really anti-climactic. All that happened was her ears rounded. It was Nate's turn. He was about to throw the powder on himself, but I warned him.

"You might want to put the clothes on first," I said. He looked at me puzzled. "Just do it." So he did. Then he threw the powder on. What a site. After a couple seconds, he looked completely human. Describing it would be a disappointment. It was one of those "You had to be there" stories. So it was time to depart. Mattie told us what to do.

"Just stand there, and close your eyes" she told us. So we did. A few seconds later, I heard a clang. It was enough to make me partially open one eye. In the split second I looked, I saw Mattie looking at Nate with a small dagger-like blade high in the air. She looked to be hesitant. What she was going to do, I could only imagine. A great feeling of not wanting to be there waved through me. In the same moment, my eyes were forcefully closed. When I opened them, we were back to Earth.


	9. Bloodline

Mattie no longer had the dagger in her hand, and Nate was fine. Mattie looked extremely nervous. I asked her why. She answered.

"I didn't transport us." She said. Nate shot a look in my direction. My heart sank. Me? No way it was me. Right? I felt a bit tired.

"I've got to lie down," I said to them. I started to walk away, and ended up running into the house. I ran to the bathroom, and splashed some cold water on my face. That woke me up. I looked in the mirror, and I looked to my ears. I was expecting to see them pointed like a Shiekah's but they weren't. I looked closer. I did see some change. They were not completely rounded anymore, but they had a small bump, only noticeable if you looked. What was going on? I left the bathroom. Sitting on my couch, was someone I never expected. Xire. He had another shuriken in his hand.

"You ruined my plan," He said. "I didn't want to kill you, because it would be a very bad thing to do, but now, there is no need for you. You are holding my operation back. The Zora was the one thing I had to take care of. You had to go and save him didn't you?" He stood up, walking at me.

"Now that my daughter has done her part, you no longer need to be part of the equation. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do away with you." He commanded. My mind raced. What was my answer?

"I'll help you get rid of the Zora." I lied.

"Help?" he shouted. "You wish to help me do away with whom you said you made a promise to? You planned to rid of your friend just to spare your own life? How pathetic. You are weaker than you look."

"Actually Xire, I was going to try to double-cross you in the end," I shot back. He grabbed my collar, and shoved me into a wall, not letting go. He raised me up off the floor.

"You spineless worm. You dare speak like that to me?"

"You're nothing special either" I insulted.

"I'm not anything special huh?" he asked me, "I'm the only chance of my family staying alive."

"How selfish," I said, "You would let others die just so your family can live? Just how many others were you planning on killing, huh?"

"You speak boldly for someone who is cornered in the worst possible way," Xire said.

"I've been cornered since I met that Zora. If only that Zora hadn't appeared in my swimming pool, I would never have been here. I've freed a girl from my mind, had a Zora and a Goron appear in my backyard, had a Shiekah try to kill me, visited Hyrule twice, and I have no Idea how this all happened. I'm a wreck. I wish someone would just fill me in on what's happening. Why is no one telling me the whole story?" I yelled.

"All part of the reason I'm here. The more you know, the harder my job is." Xire said. "You are intertwined in my mission. You are a part of a twisted formula. We don't know what the trigger could be, but something we tell you could be it. I very well could have just triggered it. That Zora knows the trigger. He can, at any time, say it, but he does not know when to say it. I can tell you no more. Now it is time for you to die." He raised the blade, and started to come down, but a scream rang in the backyard. Xire ran outside. I quickly, but quietly stepped outside too. Mattie was on the ground, and a figure ran in the opposite direction. Xire however, was running toward Mattie. I feared the worst, but the worst didn't happen. Xire picked up Mattie, and Mattie said something that shocked me.

"Daddy, I can't believe it's you!" She said to Xire.

"Daddy?" I questioned. Xire turned around to see me standing there. His eyes widened. Mattie also looked at me, and she too, looked at me wide eyed. Was I not supposed to hear that? Was I not supposed to know they were related? Like Xire said, only Nate knew the trigger. That could have been it. Xire ran up to me.

"You little sneak," he said. "You could have triggered it!" He raised a fist in the air.

"Wait" Mattie said, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so emotional."

"Well, you had every right to be emotional. You haven't seen the guy in five years," I said to Mattie, ignoring Xire altogether.

"This kid knows everything! It's a miracle the trigger hasn't… triggered!" Xire exclaimed. I cleared my throat.

"Actually sir," I said, "I don't know why nobody can tell me what you're all doing." Xire ignored me. He put his fist down.

"Mattie, what happened?" Xire asked.

"The Zora went there. He's going to say the trigger. He knows where you-know-who is." Mattie explained.

"How?"

"I don't know. He just knows."

"We've got to go kid," Xire said to me. "Go away from the house for awhile, we've got business to take care of." I felt weird taking orders from someone who tried to kill me, but I guess Mattie and Xire knew best. I went inside to get my keys. I remembered I had put them on the coffee table. Then I saw something I had forgotten about. Bradley's business card. Alice had given it to me. Maybe he could help. I took the card, and drove to Bradley's laboratory.

The whole place was covered in scraps of paper. They were all filled with text. The person I assumed was Bradley, was sitting in front of a big monitor-like wall. The monitor flashed text every so often. Bradley saw me.

"Can I help you?" He asked me.

"Uh, you can actually. I came into contact with your mother Alice. It might sound funny, but a Zora was seen in her pool. She gave me this card." I answered.

"Are you taunting me? How did you know this was a teleporting device?" Bradley asked.

"I didn't, I swear," I said.

"Well, it doesn't work," Bradley declaired. "All it does is show these sentences. They seem to be the thoughts of someone. I've been tracking these sentences for years, but I still don't know whose thoughts they are."

"Five years?" I asked.

"Yes," Bradley answered. "I've been searching for five years." I realized the mistake in me coming here.

"Wait," Bradley said, "I'm getting another reading. It says: It was a big mistake coming here." My heart sank even lower. I tried not to think about Bradley, and his possible connection to Matilda. I didn't even realize, that when I told myself not to think about it, I thought about it.

"Matilda?" He asked. "That name seems familiar to me." Suddenly, The only window in the lab was broken by someone I knew. It was Nate.

"Bradley. Matilda is your half si-" Before Nate could finish the sentence, Matilda and Xire covered his mouth. My thoughts raced. Half what? Before I realized that I wasn't supposed to think of it, I did. Everyone looked to the screen. It read:

Matilda is Bradley's half sister.

I wanted to die right there. Matilda, Xire, and Alice were probably going to die, just because I thought it. I thought the trigger. Bradley knew. He knew that his mother, Alice. married Xire, and they both had Mattie. I was still ignorant about the situation. Bradley quickly remembered.

"You," Bradley said to Mattie "You poisoned my mind with a memory serum. I remember now. Such painful memories flood my mind. Get out all of you! Except you Nathan. You stay here. My only friend. The only one who cared. Everyone else get out. GET OUT!" He shouted.

Me, Xire, and Mattie fled in my car. We drove as fast as the speed limit could bear. My house was a safe haven. At least for now. I quickly got inside. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I punched a wall, tears streaming down my face. All my fault. All my fault.

"Why?" I asked, "Why Me? I was just a simple guy, not a care in the world, then that damned Zora came here, and ruined my bliss."

"David, I know your upset, but just listen, it's not your fault," Mattie said. "Now I can tell you the whole story. You see, Bradley's mother, Alice was divorced, and when Bradley created a portal to Hyrule, He came back, and found my father Xire. He had not known that my father was magical. My father fell in love with my mother Alice. They married, and then they had me. I always received the attention, because the family figured out that I had magic in my blood. Jealousy struck Bradley in the worst way. He thought nobody cared about him. He went mad. He tried numerous times to kill us. He had a Zora friend named Nathan. Bradley found Nathan, and he was Bradley's only friend in the world. There was a problem though. Nathan disappeared too many times, behind his father's back. The Zora king banished him, and the only place he could go, was our house. We built a pool. Nate lived there. Nate owed Bradley. In the mean time, Bradley's threats against me and my father increased, and we had to leave. We gave him a memory serum so he would forget everything. I took the machine's power, and we went back to hyrule. I thought I had drained all the power, but I didn't. Nate was able to get through. He hired a crooked Shiekah to kill me and my father, to avenge Bradley's memory. He got me, but thankfully not my father. I was fifteen. This is where it gets complicated. When I absorbed the machine's power, I could transport between Earth and Hyrule. But for taking the machine's power, my dreams were projected in the Machine's screen. When I died, my soul inhabited your mind, David. When you moved to your house, I was there. By doing this, your thoughts were then projected on the screen. It was my fault for wanting to be free. You freed me, and the rest is history." Mattie explained.

"No," I said. "It isn't your fault. I would have done the same… Besides, even I wouldn't want to be stuck in my own mind." She hugged me. It was her turn to cry. Of course, Xire had to break up the moment.

"We can't sit here being sorry for ourselves" he said. "We've got to do something."

"You act like Bradley is this unstoppable force. Why do you fear him so much?" I asked.

"Bradley is very smart. He made that machine when he was only seventeen. He was a state chess champion five years running." Mattie said.

"Perfect" I said sarcastically. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing yet," Xire said, "He can still see your thoughts. We've got to keep you in the dark about what we're planning to do."

"Now he knows your planning something" I pointed out.

"That's alright," Xire said, "If he doesn't already know we were planning something, he's not as smart as we think he is."

"By now, Bradley already knows we're here. We've got to go Dave," Mattie said. She kissed me on the cheek, and they both left.


	10. Brother

I was worried. I was worried about the fate of my Hyrulian allies. For weeks, I had no idea if they were alive or dead. I had to believe that no news was indeed good news. I was later informed what had happened. This is what was told to me.

Mattie and Xire had left my house, and had walked down the block before they even started talking.

"So, what's the plan?" Mattie asked.

"We have to destroy that teleporter." Xire said, "We may never be able to get back to Hyrule, but we have to do it."

"You don't have any more of that teleportation powder?"

"No, your boyfriend used it against me."

"He is not my boyfriend."

"That's pretty hard to tell, considering the way you're kissing him."

"Come on daddy, quit it."

"Alright, I'll stop." Xire submitted.

"Well, if we don't have any of that powder, we won't have anywhere to stay."

"True. We'll just have to make due with what we have."

Mattie stopped walking to think about those words. She caught back up with Xire.

"What do you mean, 'with what we have'? We don't have anything," Mattie pointed out.

"Nothing you say? How about those clothes you're wearing?"

"What?" Mattie objected, "I'm not using my clothes"

"That's a shame, considering they change according to your appearance."

Mattie remembered. Perfect. Now they could shape-shift into anyone… or at least she could. Xire was left with his plain clothing.

"I guess we'd better go to Brad's lab," Mattie said.

"What?" Xire questioned, "Don't you think it's a little risky to just endanger ourselves like that?"

"Yep," Mattie answered.

"That's my girl," Xire commented.

After a long walk, they made it. They sat behind some tall bushes, to give themselves cover.

"Brad will be looking out for you, so you'll have to go inside, as someone who has to go to the bathroom," Xire said. Mattie understood. She peaked through the bush to see the secretary. It was a guy. He was reading a dirty magazine, inside a 'Time' magazine, to cover up the dirty magazine's cover. Mattie knew what to change into.

The secretary flipped a page of the magazine, and his eyebrows shifted upwards. Mattie entered the building. She had transformed into the most attractive looking woman possible, which, for that secretary, was a woman in a skimpy outfit.

"Would you mind if I used your facilities," Mattie asked. The secretary put down the magazine, and approached her.

"It would be my pleasure," he said "Here's the key" Mattie took it.

"Make sure you push it in hard," he said in a suave voice. Mattie walked briskly to the bathroom. She couldn't help but laugh at that guy's ridiculous innuendo. She put the key in the lock. He was right, you did have to give it a little push. She was in.

The bathroom was very clean. The floor was so shiny, it reflected the ceiling. The sink held anti-bacterial soaps, and latex gloves in a box. Even the toilets were literally sparkling. Spotless. But cleanliness was not Mattie's prime concern. She looked at the upper wall, to try to find a vent. She found one, but it was too small. It was the only one. Had she come to a dead end? She opened a stall, and it squeaked. Mattie had an Idea. She unhinged the vent great, and concentrated. She had never done this before. She changed into a little black and gray mouse, and crawled down the vent shaft.

She had no idea of where she was going, but at least the shaft didn't branch off. She looked down each vent cover, into the rooms below. It wasn't until a little while later, that she found the messy room of Brad. Stacks of papers partially blocked her view. Nate was sitting on a swivel stool, back in his Zora form. Bradley was working on some high-tech device.

"Brad, I don't know why you're doing this, but I know it's important to you." Nate said.

"You would never understand why I feel this way," Brad said. "Imagine having your family break apart, and have your mother marry some wretched magician, you call a Shiekah. Then having them not care about you. Not caring if you survive or live. Oh how Matilda hurt me so. She was the center of attention, my so-called parents spent all their precious time protecting their special daughter. My real father wouldn't have done that. He told me long ago, that if nobody is there to help you, you have to fend for yourself." A tear ran down Brad's cheek.

"No matter," he said, "I'll get them for ruining my life. They will pay for their uncaring ways." Mattie thought about what he said. Come to think about it, her parents never left her side when she was younger, and she barely knew who Brad was. She tried to think why that was.

"So what are you going to do to them?" Nate gulped.

"I won't touch a hair on the head of my mother. She was taken over by the sneaky ways of my step father. He will pay dearly for his actions. Matilda I will dispose of quickly. It was not her fault she was born."

"And how are you going to dispose of them?" Nate asked. Brad looked around the lab,

"I'll tell you in the transportation room," Brad whispered. They walked into the next room. Mattie scampered down the vent, to the next vent cover. She stood on it, it wobbled terribly, and fell off. She too was falling. She was caught. It was a trap. Trapped like a rat, as a rat. Brad took Mattie by the tail, and put her in a cage. She looked around the room. There was the teleporter, spewing text onto the screen. Nate was eying her sorrowfully. And finally, someone unexpected.


	11. Reborn Shiekah

Xire was strapped to a metal table. He was struggling to break free, but the straps were metallic. He wasn't going anywhere. They were both done for. Mattie was trapped in a cage, and Xire was strapped to a table. They were at Brad's mercy. And at that time, he had none to speak of. Mattie had one last option. She called to me for help. Telepathically of course.

I was in my house, not sure what to do. My mind couldn't stop thinking of Mattie and Xire. An echo started in the back of my mind. It grew louder and louder, until I heard a voice that was not my own, call out two words. "Help. Lab." My mind jumped at the thought of Bradley's lab. I had to get down there. So I drove in my car, my thoughts going into overdrive. Too fast for Bradley to even read. Working on adrenaline helped. No slowing down. I ran several stop signs, and eventually reached the lab. I ran inside, past the secretary, and opened random doors, trying to find Bradley's workspace. I finally opened the right one. Nate was the only one in the room. Another door in the room was closed.

"David?" Nate asked.

"I don't have time for this Nathan," I said with authority.

"No, you don't" Nate agreed "In fact, your time is up. They're gone. Brad took them somewhere else. He figured you'd try to be a hero." Gone? I was too late? The meaning of those words sunk in. It was too surreal.

"Nate! How could you let this happen?" I asked.

"You don't understand what happened to Brad," he said.

"No, You're the one who doesn't understand," I said "You let Brad do away with both of them? You're just as bad as he is."

"But he said-"

"To hell with what he said! How could you?!" I screamed. Nate sighed, and looked up in thought. He opened the closed door. He revealed a world of truth.

On the other side of the doorway were Brad, Mattie, and Xire. Brad was taken by surprise as the door opened.

"Nate? You weren't supposed to reveal I was here. You betrayed me!" Brad exclaimed.

"I won't let you harm them Brad," Nate declaired. I ran through the doorway, attemting to push Brad aside. A pair of hands grabbed my sleve, as a projectile zoomed past my head. Nate saved me.

"There's more where _that_ came from" Brad smiled. He turned to face Xire. "Who is this Shiekah?"

"Shiekah!?" I exclaimed. "I'm not a shiekah."

"Yes you are. Don't be dumb. Your ears are a dead giveaway," Brad persisted.

"What about my ears?" I asked harshly. Brad threw a mirror in my direction. I looked into it, to see my ears. They were pointed. As sharp as Xire's. What was happening to me?

"Wait a minute," Brad said out loud. You didn't have pointed ears before… those are fake! Get over here." I walked over to the other room. He pointed some sort of ray gun at me.

"Any last requests?" Brad asked. I didn't know what happened to me, but I remembered some spells from the game.

"Yeah," I said. "Eat Din's Fire!" I thrust a palm into Brad's stomach. Fire erupted from my hand, and Brad slid into a filing cabinet. Brad's ray gun fired into the ceiling, knocking a panel loose. I took the panel, and used it as a shield to get to Xire and Mattie's restraints. Heavy fire fell onto the stucco panel. I succeeded in freeing them. I threw the panel at Brad, knocking the ray gun from his hand. I forced a hand onto Brad's forehead, threatening to use a spell.

"No more fighting. Let's talk," I said slowly, heart pounding.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, talking down to me.

"No, why don't you tell me?" I mocked.

"I could get out of this if I wanted. You're no match for my intellect."

"Is that so?" I asked. "Try it," He didn't move.

"I thought so," I said. A moment of silence made the situation awkward.

"Alice and Xire cared about you Brad, they just couldn't show it."

"No they didn't" Brad denied, "They didn't care about me."

"Brad, we did care about you, but we couldn't show it," Xire said, "When Matilda was born, she had pointed ears, and her blood type wasn't that of any human. She was born in an earth hospital. The doctors were fascinated with a baby with those kinds of ears. He wanted to run tests on her. He kidnapped her, and brought her to a testing facility to experiment on her. They were going to kill her. So I infiltrated the lab. They were after me and Mattie. They came searching or us. They searched for years before they gave up. My time was taken. We had no intentions for hurting you. You seemed perfectly fine."

"But I wasn't fine. I was hurting inside. So I decided to hurt you on the outside." Brad sobbed.

"One question," I asked "Why are you so smart?"

"I don't know,"

"Tell me,"

"I said, I don't know"

"I said tell me!"

"Shut UP!"

"TELL ME!"

"NO!"

"TELL ME NOW!"

"BECAUSE I'M A SHIEKAH!" Brad screamed. He covered his mouth "I'm a shiekah?" he sounded like he didn't know.

"It's all coming back to me now," Brad said. Apparently, he didn't know.

"My father created a potion to round off my ears. That's why I'm so smart- I'm a Shiekah."

"Welcome to the club," I said. Everyone laughed. Even Brad.

So in the end, Brad forgave his parents, and they moved back into Alice's house. Mattie moved in with me, and soon we were married. Brad fixed the teleporter, and we were all free to roam between Hyrule, and Earth. Though I still felt as if something was still missing from the equation.

End


End file.
